Carbonated beverages such as beer, soft drinks, and the like are often sold in containers such as metal cans which are packaged, stored, and sold in cartons often comprised of paperboard having metallic foil laminated against a surface thereof such as the outside surface thereof.
Each of such cartons usually has a rectangular top wall and a handle often made of integral handle portions of the top wall and such handle portions usually have bases hingedly attached parallel to opposed rectangular edges of the top wall whereby loads are transferred to side panels of the carton across the top wall causing the top wall to tend to bow upwardly and such handle portions to tear out at the above-mentioned bases. The strength of each handle defined by handle portions of the character mentioned is even less when the carton on which such handle is provided is made of thinner stock or of recycled materials.